35" Tires, Stock Suspension.

[gedwards]

Some said it could not be done. Others were unsure. I decided to try it out.

Due to a scheduling conflict, the wheels and tires I had been using needed to go to a friend's project. I knew I needed cheap wheels and tires in a hurry. I had some used 35" 12.50R15 BFG A/Ts... and Summit had $39 Black Soft 8's. I ordered the 15x8 wheels with 4" backspacing... got them the next day... mounted and balanced them (can you say lead beauty-ring?)... and then MOUNTED them - on the FJ40. I knew it would be close, I thought it might not work... but as it turns out, on my 1975 FJ40 with drum brakes and stock suspension, 35" tires on 4" backspace 15x8 wheels will fit and roll. I had about 1/4" between the lip and the tie-rod up front, and out back the lugs were within an inch of the 90* bend inside the wells.

I planned ahead and also got some 1" bolt-on spacers from TrailGear to put on the fronts, these gave me 2" better track-width, still cleared the fenders easily, pushed me out 1" from the tie-rod ends and made the Beastie a dream to drive. I'm terrified to articulate her too much, but I can still drive down a dirt and gravel road, and she feels like a Cadillac. I only got the Trail-gear spacers because they're the cheapest, they bolt on, and a friend of mine runs them on his stock mini-truck axles with 38" tires on a daily-crawler - no bad bearings, no broken axles, no damaged knuckles... and he beats the snot out of his almost daily. (He drives the short route home over the granite mountain - no roads involved).

I ordered the 4.5" Safari Deluxe Suspension lift from Man-A-Fre... originally I was going to get the 4" kit from Downey, but at first they were blocking me because the Bilsteins were 2 weeks away. Then when I called back to say that I would wait 2 weeks, they told me the springs were 3 months out. WOW. They really don't want to sell me a lift. If I wanted to wait 3 months, I could easily call up ALCAN and get some custom springs made.

I know, I should have waited, etc., etc., but what the hell... I've got a decent lift coming, I'll play around with it, do some trails and feel them out. If I don't like them in 6 months, I will go ALCAN and sell my 4.5" lift.

Next up, waiting for the 4.5" lift...

 

[yotawheeler]

been done before...i had to do sag on my truck to fit my 35's...the tires were free so i figured a couple hundred for sag was a fair enough trade off. my only problem with it was that the boggers were too wide in the back and were rubbing the frame rails so i used a 1/4 spacer in the back....ill try to dig up some pics



i loved them...but they rubbed the hell out of my front fenders when i flexed though

those tires are 35x16x15R

 

[e rock]

I'm currently DDing some 36" Iroks on a 2" lift until I set aside some time to knock out my SOA. My rear fenders are trimmed quite a bit though and I can make them rub rolling over a curb or taking a corner too fast.

 

[camcruiser13]

4" backspacing really no rub?

forget buying alcans and spending more money on new springs. keep your stock and go soa, youll thank me later

 

[gedwards]

4" backspacing really no rub?

YEP... 4" backspacing and it was about 3/16" - 1/4" away. It's probably totally different for disc-brake guys, but.... for drums it works.

forget buying alcans and spending more money on new springs. keep your stock and go soa, youll thank me later

Unfortunately, I have literally read every single post on lifts, tires, SOA, cut & turn, shackle swap, mini-truck swaps, 60 swaps, and then reread most of them until it all turned into a grey goo in my mind. I have looked forward to reading every post I see from you and a few of the other guys, since you always have good stuff to add.

I know I should do an SOA... I will be doing that when I start on my other FJ40. The big deal is that I don't have the time/energy/mental preparedness to do the cut and turn right now and I want to go offroading soon.

My other FJ (I just got it) was a mud-bog show truck and has an amazing paint-job (on top of a bunch of bondo ) and a charged 350 engine/tranny combo with 44" swampers on chevy full-size axles. It's big and ugly and beaten. I will be swapping out the chevy nonsense for another pair of FJ40 axles that I have. But first, they must be cut and turned. Then a TDI engine installed (which weighs 400-500 lbs more than the 350 or a 2F.

I firmly believe that a cut and turn with SOA on stock leaves will bring me the best ride etc... but I think the Safaris (for now) and ALCANS (in the future) will be the way to go to get the equivalent height / clearance needed on Colonel Mustard until the bogger has been tamed for road use.

The other problem is that I won't have any springs for the other FJ if I don't put a lift on this one. Currently, the 12" lift chevy leafs are twisted and won't fit on 40 axles. Basically the only usable parts are the body and frame meh: hopefully) ... the rest is trash. I have a t-case that will work well for the Rover TDI motor/tranny, so I should be all set to start on that project some day soon.

So stock leaves will work their way back to Colonel Mustard after I get the TDI in the bogger... and at that point I will cut and turn and go SOA.

Thanks for the advice! I will be asking for help later!!

 

[35inchoverdrive]

I would think that someone that isn't afraid to remove the front fenders and chop a lot of the rear fender wells off could wheel 35's with no lift. You'd need spacers for sure too. I'm currently wheeling 34x9.50's with a (nearly) stock suspension. My rear springs where sagging very badly, so I had to go with an AAL, but if I had had some lift left in my springs, I might have been able to leave the stock spring pack along.

 

[MuskieFJ]

I have to ask again, but will 33"x10.5" on stock steelies and stock suspension work with minimal off roading? I need tires this spring and would like a little more top end.